Hearts Snare
by SaiyukiNoKoneko
Summary: Chapter 5 is up![SanzoXOC]What will Sanzo do when a certain brunette lands in his arms and steals his heart? Note: I don't consider this a Mary Sue, so bite me. Rated M for some language and some LEMON themes.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Saiyuki or any of the Saiyuki characters. I do own my own.

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Sanzo stood under the tree in front of the monastery sulking. He had his usual scowl on his face and a cigarette dangling from his mouth. Goku, Gojyo and Hakkai were all having fun teasing each other not to far off. Well, Goku and Gojyo were doing the teasing and Hakkai was trying to keep things from getting out of hand.

Just then, Sanzo heard a twig snap over by the entrance to the monastery grounds, so he craned his neck over to see what was up. There stood a woman who by the looks of it had just been in a nasty fight. She was wearing a green tunic that was slit all the way up to her thighs on each side, probably to make it easier for her to kick opponents. She wore tight black pants under the tunic with petite leather boots on her feet. Her long golden brown hair was coiled up on top of her head and was a little mussed. Her right shoulder was covered in blood and it was pouring down her shoulder to her hand and dripping from her fingers. She had a sword that had been bloodied up from her battle strapped to her side.

Sanzo saw all this in a second and immediately sprang from the tree he had been leaning against. No way was he going to let her hit the dirt and have to clean that out of her wound too. He was running towards her. 'Almost there, got her.' Sanzo thought as he caught her just as she started to fall forward. Her last words were, "If you think I look bad, you should see what I did to the other guys." With that she fainted in Sanzo's arms.

Gojyo, Goku and Hakkai were just coming up to the two when she fainted. They and seen Sanzo's sudden spring into action and wanted to know what had gotten their monk friend to move from his spot by the sulking tree. Gojyo immediately got to work on trying to take her from Sanzo. "Wow, what a babe. She's much to hot for you to handle Sanzo, why don't you just hand her on over to me."

Sanzo just shot Gojyo his usual scowl and picked her up and took her into the monastery. He found a vacant room and laid her down on the bed that was there. It was more of a cot than a bed, but they didn't have a lot of luxuries at the time. Hakkai came in immediately after to lend his hands to the nameless woman. Sanzo and Hakkai had to tear her tunic from her blood soaked shoulder so they could clean it up before Hakkai sealed the wound.

"Goku, go get some water and towels, and Gojyo go find some something to wrap this with." Sanzo demanded while indicating the wound in the woman's shoulder.

Goku started to argue and then thought better of it. Maybe he should just get the things that Sanzo had asked him to go get. She looked really bad and had gone pale since they had brought her in. He was back in a flash and noticed that the imposing fabric was gone from her wound.

Sanzo held her up while Hakkai sponged the area to make sure it was clean. The wound extended from the front of her shoulder to the top of her scapula. Once Hakkai was finished sponging her wound down he started to seal it up with his chi technique.

Gojyo was just walking back in with the bandages when Hakkai was almost through sealing the wound. "There you are." Sanzo almost snarled at Gojyo as he grabbed the bandages from him.

"Hey cool down," Gojyo said, "touchy, touchy. Remind me to never interrupt you when you are sulking under that tree." Gojyo walked to the corner where he still had a good view of the woman while muttering about how Sanzo was not acting like their normal Sanzo. Gojyo couldn't quite make sense of his behavior.

What Gojyo didn't know is that Sanzo didn't understand himself right now either. He kept wondering why he was being so snappy; it wasn't that he wasn't usually snappy. His reason for being that way about this woman was a mystery to him as much as everyone else. He did have to admit though; she was hot even though she was unconscious, pale and recovering from a flesh wound.

"She should be alright now." Hakkai said, "Maybe someone should watch her and make sure she doesn't get a fever between now and tomorrow morning. How about you Sanzo?"

Here everyone looked at each other and then at Sanzo. In the look they had given each other they had communicated that they were fine with that arrangement and it would get them all away from Sanzo at the same time. Sanzo just grunted to let them know that he was fine with the suggestion and the rest left.

Sanzo got up and went over to the window. He decided he could sulk here with his cigarettes just fine and still admire the view. He lit his preferred brand and sent a puff of smoke out the window.

Meanwhile, Gojyo was talking with Hakkai about the behavior they had witnessed from Sanzo. Goku was trying to listen and glean whatever he could from the conversation to help him understand Sanzo's strange behavior. Suddenly Goku piped up right during the conversation, "Do you think she's got any sisters?"

"Hmmm, I don't know, but I like that prospect if they're as fine as she is." Gojyo was quick to say. He went silent just long enough to ponder what this could mean if the mystery woman had sisters.

Hakkai chuckled to himself and said, "Now, now Goku, don't be giving Gojyo any 'great' ideas." Hakuryu made a little sound that sounded kind of like laughter at what Hakkai said.

Gojyo didn't care for that and told Hakkai, "shut that dragon up, it's not funny."

Hakuryu made a dejected sound at that and made his way to the other side of Hakkai that was furthest from Gojyo.

Back in the room it was later now and Sanzo had found some sake on the way back from one of his bathroom trips. He liked drinking and smoking and he thought it would help him act more like himself. The jug sat on the table right next to the cot with a small sake glass right beside it. He didn't want to drink all of the sake, just pace himself and have some more smokes. Someone had brought in some food when he had been on his "nature call" which was still sitting untouched. It was starting to get late so he decided to help himself to a little bit of the food on the tray. As he sat eating he noticed her weapon sitting at the foot of the cot on another little table. 'I'll clean that up when I'm done eating,' he thought to himself.

Sanzo finished his small meal in no time. He went and found some cleaning supplies and then came back and picked up the sword off of the table. Now he was ready to deal with the blood soaked handle. It sure was bloody. He wondered if it was mostly hers or someone else's. He finished with the handle and took the blade out of its sheath to clean the blade. His shock at seeing the blade looking perfectly clean would have been apparent had anyone been there to see it. She was a true warrior if she had used it and still took the time to clean it with the injury she had. A real practitioner wouldn't want that bloody sticky mess to get inside the scabbard. Sanzo finished cleaning what was left of the blood on the scabbard and then disposed of his cleaning supplies. The smell of blood had been lessened quite a bit just from that one act of cleanup.

Sanzo looked back to the unconscious form of the woman and noticed her thrashing a little. He realized that she was now in sleep and must be dreaming. His gaze stayed on her to make sure her movements didn't get out of control too much and reopen her wound. Sanzo reached out to touch her forehead and felt that she was on getting on the warm side. He already had a bowl in case of this event along with a jug of water and a cloth. 'Where the hell's the water.' He thought wildly. A moment later Sanzo took the cloth he had in his hand and got it soaking before he rang it out and laid it on the woman's forehead. He repeated this throughout the night until the fever broke. She started sleeping more restfully in the early morning and he felt relief for a reason he couldn't explain.

Looking back on the night's events, Sanzo realized that even though he new he had everything there, he had almost lost his mind trying to find the water. It was like he, Sanzo, was panicking. That was so not like him. He looked down at the woman and saw one eye slightly open. His gaze went to the other eye and saw that now both eyes were lazily looking at the sake jug. She held her hand out for the sake cup that was out of reach from her stretched out hand.

"That's not water in there." Sanzo found himself speaking. "There's sake in that cup."

The woman just continued to reach for the sake cup and grunted in understanding. So not sure what else to do Sanzo picked up the cup and handed it to her. He watched as she downed it like it was water and held the cup out for more. She drank three cups before she handed the glass back and fell back into a deep sleep. Just then Gojyo, Hakkai and Goku came in to see how she was doing. Sanzo decided not to tell them about her short wakeful spell and sake drinking.

"She had a fever during the night." Sanzo explained to Hakkai, "It broke early this morning."

"Good." Said Hakkai. "Hopefully that means she's doing better." He said this as he checked her wound and felt her forehead to see how she was doing.

Gojyo smirked and said to Sanzo, "All the monks around here are giving you a lot of space right now like they're afraid they'll catch something. I think they heard you yelling yesterday." Gojyo winked at Goku at the end of his sentence and Goku laughed.

"Fine with me." Sanzo spat. Like he cared what the monks were doing.

"Well, we'll be going now." Hakkai said smelling trouble brewing. They all shuffled out of the room leaving Sanzo alone with the 'mystery woman' again.

Sanzo scowled and went over to the window and lit another cigarette. The rest of his day was uneventful as was the next. The sleeping beauty finally woke the next evening.

Sanzo was sitting at the table next to the woman's cot thinking about pouring another glass of sake for himself when she woke. First she winced from the pain of the wound in her shoulder. Then she slowly fluttered her eyes open. She started to look around when her gaze landed on Sanzo and stared him right in the eye. Sanzo was taken aback. Her eyes were an icy green with a dark green ring around the edge of her iris. He felt like he could get lost in those eyes. Even though they were icy they also sparkled with warmth from her dazzling smile.

"Hi?" She said wondering if he was going to come out of his trance. He looked like he had almost stopped breathing.

"Hi." Sanzo croaked out.

She giggled at his reaction and said, "Thank you for catching me. You are the last thing I remember seeing, although you look less fussy now." She smiled sweetly.

Sanzo just nodded his head and whispered, "What's your name?" She was absolutely breathtaking to him.

"Ayaka." She whispered back, "and yours?"

"Sanzo." Sanzo whispered wondering why he was whispering to begin with.

That same thing must have occurred to Ayaka, because she whispered to him, "Why are we whispering?"

"I'm not sure." Sanzo continued to whisper. He just couldn't seem to find his voice.

She giggled again and whispered to him, "Let me break the ice then." She tried to sit up and Sanzo quickly pushed her back down.

"You don't want to do that." He said in an audible voice for the first time. Although, it didn't sound like his voice, there was too much worry in it. "Don't you remember your wound?"

Just then the door opened and in walked Hakkai, Gojyo and Goku.

"You're finally awake." Hakkai said stating the obvious. "How are you feeling?"

"Ayaka," Sanzo said cutting in, "this is Hakkai. He is the one who sealed your wound for you."

"Thank you." Said Ayaka while slightly bowing her head.

"And this is Gojyo." Sanzo continued while indicating the man with the red hair and eyes. "And this is Goku…" Sanzo started to motion to Goku's spot in the room by the table. "You stupid monkey," Sanzo growled. He took his paper fan out and hit Goku over the head with it. "That food was for Ayaka."

"Ouch." Goku whined. "Who's Ayaka?" He asked.

"You stupid monkey," Sanzo said, "I was just about to introduce her."

Gojyo cut in "Monkey boy, Ayaka is obviously the babe."

They were starting to talk like Ayaka wasn't even there and she was starting to laugh at their antics toward each other.

"Well," Ayaka said, "Does any one of you want to help me up into at least a sitting position?"

Gojyo was instantly beside the cot along with, "Sanzo?" Gojyo said, a little unsure of what was happening. Sanzo had tied with Gojyo and was actually in the better spot to help Ayaka up. Gojyo relented and let Sanzo help her up. He would definitely bring this up with Sanzo later.

"Do you need a sling for you shoulder?" Sanzo asked Ayaka.

"Please." Said Ayaka.

The rest exchanged looks with each other, and then shrugged their shoulders before Hakkai offered to make a sling for Ayaka's arm. Sanzo was definitely acting different.

"Gojyo, why don't you find one of the monks to bring some more food for Ayaka? She hasn't eaten for awhile and I'm sure she must be hungry." Sanzo stated. He didn't even look in Gojyo's direction.

Gojyo fumed inwardly. He knew what Sanzo was really doing. True Ayaka needed food, but Sanzo was also sending him away, which meant that Sanzo must see him as competition. She such a babe, maybe Goku was right and she had sisters. He had to believe that she had sisters. With that he departed to find someone who could get some food for Ayaka.

At the sound of food, Ayaka looked gratefully up at Sanzo. She was terribly hungry. Counting back she realized that she hadn't had any food for over two days. That was way too long for her and her growling stomach only helped confirm the fact.

Sanzo was doing everything he could to make sure Ayaka was comfortable. He kept asking her if she needed this or that to which she would give him a "yes" or "no". Sanzo had almost run out of things to ask her as far as her comfort was concerned, when Gojyo came back with the food. It hadn't taken him long to find a monk that was able to put together a quick meal in a timely fashion. Given that he had been doing everything he could to get back into Ayaka's line of sight, he had done quite well. He also hoped that since he was the one bringing her some food that it would send some of her attention his way. He sat the food tray on the table closest to her that was also home to the sake jug and placed a plate with a sizable helping in her waiting hands.

"Thank you so much." Ayaka said while flashing Gojyo a sweet smile of thanks. She immediately got to work on her plate while the guys just sat in awkward silence. Ayaka could feel the tension so she decided to ask them what they did for a living. That proved to be a rather short lived conversation so she ate the rest of her meal in silence.

When Ayaka had finished her meal, Sanzo asked her to relate the details of her battle and flight to them if she wasn't too tired. She assented and got in a more comfortable position on the cot before she started.

Ayaka began with, "It all started when…"

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Ok, this is a Mary Sue disclaimer. In order to do a Het. fic of Sanzo, I felt that I needed to invent a woman for a simple reason. I don't see any current woman in the series being his type. If you don't see Sanzo with a woman, you probably shouldn't read anymore of my fic. He needs a woman that is strong enough to stand up to him and not need him to protect her 100 of the time. She needs to be able to hold her own (within reason of course). I DO NOT VIEW AYAKA AS ME. So, if you have a problem with that, then please just don't flame me or tell me my story sucks, I didn't write it for you.

As for everyone else, I hope you loved my story. If you give me reviews, I just might post the next chapter (which is in its final revision almost) sooner than originally planned (but I won't say when that is).


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Saiyuki or any of the Saiyuki characters. I do own my own.

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Ayaka began with, "It all started when I left home to come south. I had decided that it was time that I left and saw some of the world. My journey went rather smoothly until the horse I was using for the pass over the mountains got spooked during the night. There was a thunderstorm that night and it scared the animal off. I never did find him again.

The day that I came here started out well enough. I was on foot now, which was probably best since it would have been difficult to get through such thick underbrush on a horse anyway. I entered a clearing and met up with some demons. Fighting is a last resort for me if I can get away, so I tried to just exit the clearing, but they were everywhere. I drew my sword and slaughtered all of them before I met the leader of the pack. The wound on my shoulder was from a swing of his sword that was really meant for my head. I took his head with my sword. After that I just concentrated on getting off the mountain. I saw this place part way down and headed for it. The rest is all hazy." Ayaka finished.

It hadn't taken Ayaka long to relate her story and now she was tired again. "Can one of you direct me to a bathroom?" She asked. "I would like to clean up if you don't mind." Ayaka thought it would feel good to be clean again before going back to bed.

Sanzo got up and helped her from the cot. He walked her in silence to the bathroom just down the hall from the room Ayaka was staying in. She walked into the bathroom and was happy to see it was kept rather clean with a stack of fresh towels sitting on a table next to a bathtub. She turned back to Sanzo. "Thank you." Ayaka said. "Can I ask one more favor of you?" She asked Sanzo. He nodded his head. "Will you come in here and help me get my tunic off?" She asked uncertainly.

Sanzo gulped and stuttered. "S-s-sure." He went in and shut the door so she would have her privacy. She had turned her back to him waiting for him to help her with the tunic. It had a mock neck collar on it and one sleeve since they had had to tear the other sleeve off in order to care for her wound.

"You can just tear it." Ayaka said matter-of-factly. "I won't be able to wear it again anyway."

Sanzo wondered if she knew what this was doing to him. He was getting turned on by her, from the words she saying and her close proximity. He hoped he could keep himself composed. Sanzo took a hold of the tunic and tore it from her lithe body. He tried not to gasp from seeing her perfect form. True she still had on her bra and pants, but she was incredible. Ayaka was slim, toned and had the perfect hourglass shape. He could tell that she had indeed spent a lot of time training from how she was built. She turned to face him and he gulped again, praying at the same time that she could not hear it.

"Thank you Sanzo." Ayaka said sweetly. "I can handle the rest now." She blushed a little since she wasn't used to being in so little clothing in front of a man. Even though Ayaka was confident in her body she had always been careful with men. Sure men had seen her in a swimsuit, but not like this and there was a difference for her.

"I'll bring you something to wear." Sanzo said. "I'll be right back." He opened the door and stepped out quickly, closing the door behind him.

Ayaka quickly took off her boots and then went over to the tub, still in her black pants and bra. She got the tub going while she waited for Sanzo to return. She was both delighted and surprised when she found some bubble bath. It was a sandalwood jasmine scent and she wondered who liked bubble baths in the monastery.

Sanzo was just about to the door of the bathroom. He had found a couple robes small enough for Ayaka to wear. They would do until she could get some more clothes. Sanzo knocked on the door. He could hear the bathtub filling with water on the other side of the door. In a moment the door opened a crack and he could see a pair of icy green eyes peering at him from behind it. She opened it enough to let him inside the room.

As soon as Sanzo entered the room he could smell the bubble bath. He frowned a little as he wondered how Ayaka had found it. He could have sworn that he had hid it better than that. Now she was going to wonder who it belonged to. What if she figured out that it was his? He couldn't let his friends know that he took bubble baths.

Sanzo turned to Ayaka and took another gulp. She had taken her golden brown hair down and it was now spilling over her back and shoulders. It ended about halfway down her back. He noticed this when she had turned long enough to close the door. Ayaka was standing in front of him now and was looking at the robes he held in his hands.

Coming back to his senses, Sanzo held the robes out to her. "This is all I could find. I hope they will work until we can get you into town." He said.

Ayaka took them gratefully. "Thank you Sanzo," she said, "for everything."

"You're welcome." Sanzo said as he turned to the door to exit the bathroom.

After Sanzo had left, Ayaka locked the door and put her new clothes down next to the towels. She finished undressing and slid herself into the tub of hot water.

Back in the bedroom the others were talking about how long it was taking for Sanzo to show Ayaka to the bathroom. Just when Gojyo was about to go check on things, Sanzo came back into the room and sat down like everything was normal.

Goku just asked Sanzo point blank, "Why did it take you so long?"

"I had to find some clothes for Ayaka you stupid monkey." Sanzo yelled at Goku while smacking him over the head with his paper fan.

Gojyo raised his brows as he asked, "What about her clothes? It would be to hard for her to get out of them by herself. I better go help her." He started for the door.

Sanzo glared at Gojyo. "It is already taken care of. Besides, she doesn't need "your" kind of help."

Gojyo was about to give a retort to that when Hakkai cut in. "Now, now. All we need to do now is decide what we are going to do about the demons. You know that they won't be happy when they find their comrades dead. I can't believe that they didn't have some friends that weren't present at the time, and they will want revenge. Also, she left a blood trail behind her that leads right to us."

Sanzo lifted one brow. Hakkai had a point.

The four of them started talking about a plan of action. Should they wait for them to come to them or should they go up the mountain and try to cut off any impending attack? They were still talking about forty-five minutes later when Goku looked out the window he was standing by.

"It looks like they're already here." Goku said getting excited at the prospect of a fight.

"There's no time to waste then." Said Sanzo.

They all got up and left the temple. When they reached the monastery grounds they saw that they had quite a group on their hands. Together, they went right into the fight head-on.

They were right in the thick of things when it happened. All of them had their hands full; Gojyo was getting them right and left along with Hakkai who was fending them of with his chi attacks. Goku had just creamed a demon with a strike of his bo, and Sanzo had cut down three demons like flies on a wall with his banishing gun when a scream came from inside the temple.

Sanzo turned just in time to see a demon exiting the temple with Ayaka slung over his shoulder. She was trying to fight even now, but with her injuries it just wasn't working. Sanzo took aim and fired at the demon that had Ayaka. The bullet found its mark and Sanzo rushed toward the demon. He had to get over to Ayaka so he could protect her.

Ayaka fell gracefully to the ground, landing on the side that wasn't injured. She started to get up just as she saw Sanzo reach her side. He looked her over and saw that her shoulder wound had reopened soaking the robe she was wearing. Her hair was still damp from her bath and clinging to the back of her robe.

"You are causing a lot of trouble." Sanzo scowled at her.

Ayaka's face turned red with anger. "It's not my fault they chose to attack me and the monastery." She looked over his shoulder and saw a demon advancing. "Anyway now isn't the time, you have someone coming from behind you."

Sanzo turned around and shot the demon dead. There weren't anymore coming from that angle so he turned to scan for more incoming opponents. He had to admit that going without sleep for two days was making it harder on him.

Ayaka was on the alert too. Even though she was weaponless, she couldn't just stand there. However, the amount of blood loss she had experienced recently was starting to take its toll on her. She almost missed the demon that had gone undetected by her and Sanzo. He was just about to place a spectacular blow with a club on Sanzo's head. Ayaka didn't take any time to think. She just pushed Sanzo out of the way, but she wasn't fast enough and the club met her in the stomach.

When Sanzo felt Ayaka push him, he turned just in time to see the landing blow to Ayaka's stomach. Her eyes went wide with pain and blood flew from her mouth. He skidded under her and caught her while putting one knee on the ground and the other under her head. Then he took aim and shot the demon right between the eyes. Sanzo looked back down at Ayaka. His heart suddenly plummeted into his stomach. Her icy green eyes were closed now and her breath was coming in tiny gasps. 'Stupid woman.' Sanzo thought as he watched her breathing become shallower. "Hakkai." Sanzo gasped as he looked up to locate his friend.

The battle had just ended and Hakkai, Gojyo and Goku all came running over to Sanzo and Ayaka. They knew something was terribly wrong.

"Hakkai, do something, she's dying." Sanzo said desperately. 'Stupid woman.' He thought again. 'What was she thinking pulling a stunt like that?' Sanzo didn't care whether it looked like he had feelings for someone else right now. For a reason he couldn't explain she had already wormed her way into his heart and he couldn't lose her. He watched as Hakkai used his chi to heal the internal damage to her stomach area.

"We have to get her back inside to deal with that wound on her shoulder again." Hakkai stated. He had noticed how pale Sanzo had gone.

Sanzo put one arm under her knees and the other under her shoulders and picked her up without a word. It didn't even register with him where he was taking her. He just numbly went to her room with the others following behind. When he got in the room, he laid her down carefully on the cot. They dressed her down enough to deal with her shoulder again and then laid her down when they had finished.

"Sanzo, you need to go lay down too." Hakkai said knowing that Sanzo had already been up for more than forty-eight hours straight. "I'll watch her for now."

Sanzo wanted to argue, but realized that Hakkai was right. He took one last look at Ayaka before he headed to his room. Once in his room he striped down to his jeans and crawled into bed. He didn't think he could sleep, but as his head touched the pillow he fell asleep with a picture of Ayaka in his mind.

A yell woke Sanzo out of the nightmare he had been having. He had been seeing Ayaka getting hit with the club over and over again. Each time he saw the club hit her, he could feel his whole world shattering around him.

The yell that woke Sanzo out of his sleep was Ayaka. He jumped out of his bed and was down the hall in a flash. As he entered the bedroom Ayaka was in, he saw Hakkai was trying to hold her down to keep her from thrashing too much and reopening her wounds. Sanzo came to her side and slapped her face.

Hakkai looked up at Sanzo. "What do you think you're doing that for?" He asked angrily. That was no way to treat a woman, especially one in Ayaka's condition. He looked down and noticed that she had suddenly calmed down. She was still asleep and her thrashing had stopped. "Sanzo, how did you know that would work?"

"I didn't." Sanzo said. He didn't want to do it, but it was the only thing he could think of. It wasn't until now that Sanzo noticed that it was a lot later than when he went to his room. "I'll watch her now." Sanzo said feeling like he was up to it now. He didn't want to keep having nightmares anyway.

Hakkai relented nodding in understanding and left the room for his own to get some sleep.

Sanzo took up the seat that Hakkai had been sitting in and just stared at Ayaka. She looked more peaceful now and the color was starting to come back to her. He reached out and took her hand that was resting outside of the covers. It was calloused and rough from all her training. He brought it up to his face and rubbed the back of her hand against his cheek. Somehow it was comforting to him to feel her skin on his.

Ayaka stayed asleep for four days this time during which Gojyo went and found the clearing she had been attacked in the first time. He found a bag that looked like it had stuff that might belong to her in it. He brought it back and left it in her room. It had clothes inside it that looked to be her style and size along with some toiletries and a few other personal items. Sanzo had someone wash the clothes so they would be clean when she woke.

It was dark and raining when she finally woke. Sanzo was asleep in the chair next to her bed. He had been too tired and too worried about Ayaka that he hadn't even noticed the rain.

Ayaka shivered a little. She felt cold even though she was covered in blankets. Her teeth chattered a little and she took a breath of air through her teeth. It was a little sound, but it was enough to wake Sanzo. His violet eyes met her icy green. They both smiled and Ayaka's teeth chattered again.

"Are you cold?" Sanzo asked while thinking, 'of course she's cold, she's only shaking like a leaf.'

Ayaka nodded her head, too cold to talk. Sanzo couldn't think of a better solution that could be executed quickly, so he lifted the covers of her cot and got in next to her. He carefully put one arm around waist and pulled her close to him while trying to be gentle with her wounds.

A smile spread across Ayaka's lips. She didn't know what it was about this priest, but she felt so safe and warm in his arms. Her thoughts went back to when she got hit with the club. She knew she would do it again if she had to. Something in her heart told her that she would. She snuggled into him and closed her eyes and fell back to sleep.

Sanzo was surprised when he felt her snuggling into him. He smiled to himself thinking, 'oh yeah, who has the right stuff now Gojyo?' This was one woman he didn't plan on letting Gojyo get his filthy hands on. With that he fell back to sleep, with the rain hitting the windowpanes.

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Ok, I just couldn't wait to get the next chapter up. I really appreciate the review. Don't worry, the lemony stuff will come with time (I hope I can write a good one). Anyway, I know Sanzo isn't himself, but with my own experience love does crazy things. 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Saiyuki or any of the Saiyuki characters. I do own my own.

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It had been a month and Ayaka had regained her strength. She was standing at the window of the room she had occupied since she came to the monastery. Her gaze was fixed out the window at the falling rain, but her mind was elsewhere. She suddenly hit the wall next to the window with a closed fist. It irritated her that she didn't feel like she could put her entire strength behind her punch. She pulled her fist from the wall's edge. 'I've got to get out of this temple.' She thought as she grabbed her cloak from her chair and pulled it on. In a few minutes she exited the temple and started for a trail she had been eyeing for a while. It was obviously old and hadn't been used for a long time, but she felt compelled to find the end of it despite the rain.

Back in his room, Sanzo was sulking next to his bedroom window. He had been smoking non-stop, and staring out at the rain the whole time. He was reliving the death of his master for the millionth time. Every now and then he would grit his teeth and growl. He was getting pissed that even after a month his mind kept going back to the time he had kept Ayaka warm in her cot. It had been a time of weakness for him and he had started distancing himself from her. Every time he saw her approaching his location, he thought of a reason to excuse himself, so he wouldn't have to talk to her. Sanzo had let her get through his hard exterior and now he had to rebuild the wall around his heart. He had forgotten about his promise to keep her to himself and away from Gojyo. However, it wouldn't have mattered anyway. Gojyo had been trying to win her over, but she had ignored his overtures for reasons that he didn't understand.

"ARRRGGHH!" Sanzo yelled in frustration. He wanted to sulk about that night so long ago now in peace. Rain and blood, was all he wanted to think about. This damned woman was destroying his concentration. He finally stormed out of his room, down the hall and was almost to her door when he noticed it was open. Sanzo didn't bother trying to be quiet as he entered Ayaka's room. He looked around expecting to find her sitting somewhere knitting. 'That is what women do in winter, isn't it?' He thought to himself. However, she wasn't there. In fact he couldn't find her in the bathroom, the kitchen, the shrine, anywhere. 'Damn it.' He thought to himself. 'Now not only can I not sulk in peace, but I can't even find the person that has infected my mind.' He stormed back to his room. What Sanzo didn't know was that if he had looked out of the window of Ayaka's room when he first went into it, he just might have seen a cloaked figure disappear up the old trail and into the trees.

Ayaka had been hiking along the trail for about 15 minutes when she reached a small clearing. It was obviously property that was owned by the monastery. There was a small, dilapidated cottage that bore the mark of the monastery. Ayaka was thrilled. She started to explore the exterior and then the interior. It was a good thing that Ayaka didn't have anything to light up the inside of the cottage, or else she would have screamed from all the spiders. As it turned out Ayaka walked right into a thick, nasty web and it sent her screaming from the run down cottage.

Sanzo was back in his room staring out the window when he vaguely heard screaming. Curiosity got the better of him and he went out to find the source. He followed the sound, hearing it grow in intensity, as he got closer to the exit of the temple. When he reached the porch of the temple he was surprised to see Ayaka, wet to the core and running her fingers all over herself like she was trying to pull something off of her. She hadn't noticed him yet because she was concentrating on the web so much. Sanzo stepped from the porch into the rain. He advanced on Ayaka who still hadn't taken any notice of him. "What are you doing out here in the rain?" Sanzo asked.

Ayaka jumped. She hadn't noticed Sanzo and his voice startled her. "I just went for a walk." Ayaka said. She wanted to keep the cottage to herself for now.

Sanzo raised one brow. "What were you screaming for?" He asked.

Ayaka blushed with embarrassment. She would rather fight a demon than confront a spider or it's web. "I walked into a really nasty spider web." Ayaka said sheepishly. "I didn't see it," she continued. "They just make my skin crawl." She shuddered.

By this time Sanzo was trying not to laugh. It seemed so ridiculous to him.

Ayaka could tell by the look on Sanzo's face that it was silly to him. It infuriated her. She bent down and scooped up some of the mud at her feet. Sanzo had turned to go back into the temple and hadn't seen her bend down for the mud. Ayaka flung it at him with all her might. It hit him squarely in the back.

Sanzo was stunned. 'What the hell did she do that for?' he wondered. He paused for a moment before he turned around just in time to get socked with more mud right on the side of his head. "Why you little…" Sanzo yelled as he quickly reached for a mud ball of his own. He threw it and pegged Ayaka right in the chest.

A mud war ensued while the rain continued to pour from the clouds. By the time they were done launching mud missiles at each other, they both had goofy grins plastered to their faces. They were covered head to toe in mud. However, they weren't through yet. Sanzo reached down to give Ayaka a hand up from her position on the ground where she had rolled to in order to dodge a mud ball. Instead of taking Sanzo's extended hand, Ayaka lunged forward, grabbed him around the legs while thrusting one shoulder forward into him and pulling his legs out from under him.

Sanzo landed on his shoulder with a "splat" in the mud. He took this as a cue that their little game wasn't over yet. Now it had turned into who could pin whom. Sanzo smirked to himself. This was fun. He managed to get Ayaka on her back and straddled her. His hands had her arms pinned to the muddy ground and his face was just inches from hers.

Ayaka was almost sure that Sanzo was going to kiss her. He was so close to her. Suddenly a look of surprise flashed across his face before it went to his usual scowl. He got up abruptly and walked back towards the temple.

Anger surged through Ayaka. Sanzo kept leading her on and then he would pull away as soon as she got too close. It was infuriating to her. She leapt up and ran to block Sanzo's path. Getting around him was easy for her and she blocked the entrance as well as her body would allow.

Sanzo looked up and scowled at Ayaka. What was she thinking by blocking the entry? "Move." Sanzo said authoritatively.

"No." Ayaka said defiantly. "I won't move until you tell me why you are doing this."

"Doing what?" Sanzo asked.

"You keep letting me in to your life and then you push me out. What is it going to be Sanzo? Am I in, or out?" Ayaka asked him.

Sanzo was trying not to look into her eyes. They were demanding an explanation and he wasn't sure if he had one. He kept thinking about how painful his life had been, full of death and destruction. Did he really want to subject her to that? Not only that, but he was a priest. How could he justify being with her the way his body wanted to? His heart was going to betray him if he wasn't careful. 'Just like that damn kitten.' Sanzo thought. She had had gotten three names from the Sanzo Party. Goku had named her Fluffy, Hakkai had named her Cali, and Gojyo had named her Betty. That cat had wormed it way into his heart too. Sanzo could see the same thing happening with Ayaka, only this time it was worse.

Ayaka had been staring at Sanzo waiting for an answer. She noticed that he was avoiding her eyes and he seemed to be thinking. Her patience was starting to wear thin. How hard could it be?

"I'm not sure." Ayaka finally heard Sanzo say. He finally looked her in the eye. Ayaka could see confusion and pain for a split second before he was able to mask it. She gave up her blockade, defeated.

Sanzo walked strait into the temple without a look back, ignoring her completely. He headed for the bathroom where he planned to take a good soak in the tub.

Ayaka wasn't sure what to do. She knew he was having a difficult time with his feelings, hence the problem. That much was plain. But what was she supposed to do about it? She ran back into the rain. She didn't bother with where she was going, it didn't matter, and before she knew it she was at the edge of the river. Ayaka looked around and spotted a tree. She walked strait for it and started to take her aggression out on it. Her fists flew at it along with an occasional roundhouse kick. The rain pelted her already drenched form. She just kept hitting the tree until she was exhausted. Then she lay at the foot of it letting the rain assault her.

It was an hour later and Sanzo was back in his room trying to figure things out. He paced his room as he thought while also keeping an ear out to the hall. If he was right like he thought he was, he still hadn't heard Ayaka come back. He tried to tell himself that it made no difference to him, but he finally couldn't stand it anymore and stepped back into the hall. He checked her room and the bathroom, both of which were empty. 'Looks like it's back out into the rain.' He thought bitterly.

Sanzo stepped off the porch and noticed muddy footprint shaped puddles that led toward the river. 'What in the hell did she go there for?' Sanzo thought as he ran in the direction of the river. As he approached the river he saw something at the foot of a tree. It was perfectly still. Soon he saw that it was a person and then that that person was Ayaka. He slowed his pace and came over to her. She had her eyes closed and it was evident that she had been giving the tree some harsh treatment. Her knuckles were skinned and she was still splattered with mud, though some had washed away from the rain.

"You really are starting to cause me too much trouble." Sanzo stated. He had expected a reaction to that but got none. "Come on." Sanzo said, while nudging Ayaka with his foot.

Ayaka opened one eye and said, "What? Did you say something? I wasn't listening to you." She had decided that she didn't feel like talking to Sanzo right now. It was her turn to sulk.

"Come back and get cleaned up." Sanzo demanded. "Besides, you'll feel better." He added. The last part was added just to help get his task done.

"What do you care?" Ayaka asked defiantly.

"I don't. " Sanzo said.

"Good, then you can leave me alone." Ayaka stated like this was just another normal day in the sun.

"No, I can't." Sanzo said. He didn't want to get dirty yet again, but he wasn't going to leave Ayaka there. He picked her up and threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

Ayaka screamed. "Put me down!" She shrieked.

"You're acting like a spoiled brat." Sanzo said.

"Tch, like you're one to talk." Ayaka spat back. She tried to kick him, but his hold was too good on her. So, she resorted to trying to hit him.

"Hey, I could use a back rub, keep it up." Sanzo said as he started walking back to the temple.

Ayaka fumed. It was obvious that she wasn't going to get away. In truth part of her secretly enjoyed it and wouldn't let her try enough to get away.

They reached the temple and Sanzo took her all the way to the bathroom with Ayaka slung over his shoulder. He set her on her feet in the bathroom once he got there. "Don't you even think of running out into that rain again." Sanzo warned. "I'll be right outside the door until you finish in here, so don't even try it." With that he shut the door on her and got a chair to sit on outside of the door. He planted it right outside and got a cigarette going.

Ayaka wrinkled her nose. She was really dirty, as the mirror attested. Her clothes were a little harder to get off than usual. Once she was stripped down she got her bath ready. She had to admit that it felt good to be warm again and feel the mud float away from her skin. As her skinned knuckles touched the water she winced with pain. They stung, but it could have been worse. She lathered up her hair, giving it a good scrub before rinsing it. Then she proceeded to the rest of her body. Before too long she was clean again and stepped from the tub. She dried her body and wrapped a towel around her hair. Then she draped another around her petite form and headed for the door. She didn't have any clothes in here and was forced to go to her room for them.

Sanzo heard Ayaka's steps coming to the door and moved out of the way before she opened the door. She sauntered through to her room and shut the door. Sanzo felt his jaw hit the floor. She had a great pair of legs and the way the towel draped her body was so sexy. He recovered his jaw and continued to sit. She wasn't going to fool him.

Just then Goku came down the hall. "What are you doing Sanzo?" Goku asked.

"Guarding Ayaka's door." Sanzo said mater-of-factly.

"Why?" Asked Goku.

"To keep her from going out in the rain again." Sanzo said. "She's been out in it most of the day." He looked to see Goku's reaction.

"Okay." Goku said slowly, trying to figure out why this was bad.

"In fact, why don't you watch her while I clean up again." Sanzo said.

"Sure!" Goku said eager to help out, even though he wasn't sure why it was necessary.

Sanzo went to take yet another bath.

Back in her room, Ayaka had dressed again and had decided to work on her plans for the cottage. She took out pen and paper and got to work. Obviously it needed a new roof and some drafty little holes in the walls needed filled. Also some brush needed to be cleared and a few stepping stones to the doorway would give it a nice touch. Ayaka frowned. She hadn't been able to see the inside to easily so she wasn't sure of what she needed for the interior. That would have to come later she guessed.

The next day found Ayaka talking to an old priest about the cottage. The old monk told her that it had been forgotten for quite some time. It was once used as a get away for the monks when they needed more solitude long ago, but they had other places they went to now. It was simply too close to the monastery and even though it had served its purpose, no one wanted to be that close by. Ayaka was excited about this new information and asked if he knew if it might be possible for her fix it up and use it herself. He didn't see a problem with that and said, "If you need any help, don't be afraid to ask one of the young monks to help her work on it. It would be good for them."

Ayaka was so excited that she did a happy kind of dance-walk back to her room. She was still doing her happy dance when a knock came on her open door. Ayaka looked up hoping to see Sanzo and saw Gojyo instead. She wasn't even sure why she had expected Sanzo. He had only been avoiding her at every turn again. "Not now Gojyo," Ayaka sighed, "I was having a good day."

"What do you mean by that?" Gojyo said, hurt that she might not want his presence. Unbeknownst to her, he had seen her dancing and he liked what he'd seen.

"Exactly what I said you great ox." Ayaka said turning to Gojyo, frustration on her face. She turned her icy green eyes on his red ones and said, "Besides, you don't want waste time with me when there are plenty of women that need "rescued" in town." Ayaka advanced on Gojyo and put her index finger on his chest. "I'm busy." She said matter-of-factly as she pushed him out the door. Once he was in the hallway she quickly shut the door and locked it.

Ayaka rubbed her hands together quickly in anticipation. She was going to town for supplies. Then a thought occurred to her. Maybe Gojyo would come in handy after all. She unlocked her door and opened it. Gojyo was surprisingly still there.

"Having second thoughts?" Gojyo asked with sly smile on his face.

"Yeah, walk me to town?" Ayaka asked.

"I would love to." Gojyo said as he slipped an arm around Ayaka's waist.

Ayaka wanted to hit his arm off, but thought against it. She would just enjoy herself and not worry about it. It was just Gojyo's style, she reasoned.

The couple walked out of sight from one blond haired monk who happened to see Gojyo's arm around Ayaka's waist. He arched a brown and without a second thought took pursuit.

* * *

I hope this is going well for all you who are reading this. It is a little bit of a struggle to stay true to Sanzo's character, but I hope I'm pulling it off for you. Anyway, I've decided he needs little tastes of what he's missing before he goes all out on Ayaka. Otherwise it really wouldn't be realistic for his character at all (it may not be anyway, but I'm trying). Anyway, I hope you love it. 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Saiyuki or any of the Saiyuki characters. I do own my own.

Makiwara: The version I have in the story is one that is a board with padding on it which can be mounted on a wall. I believe they are used to help develop one's punching skill, but I've been wrong before.

* * *

Sanzo kept his distance so as to avoid detection. He watched as Gojyo and Ayaka stopped at different shops. There was one that sold building supplies and another that sold house furnishings. They also stopped at a shop that sold equipment for physical training. It housed things like protective gear for sparing as well as punching bags and an array of other items. It looked like they were going to build a house together.

'When did I let this happen?' Thought Sanzo.

Ayaka had just finished her shopping when Gojyo spotted a young woman that he thought needed his attention.

"Gojyo, aren't you going to help me back to the temple with all this?" Ayaka asked.

Gojyo was torn. Then he came up with an idea. "How about you go find a little something to eat and I'll be back to help you in no time." He offered.

Ayaka just threw her hands up in the air. 'I'm never going to ask Gojyo for help ever again.' She thought to herself. Ayaka looked down at her things trying to figure out if she could manage it all by herself. She looked up to ask Gojyo if he wouldn't mind forgetting the woman this once, but he had already left. "Just my luck." Ayaka mumbled to herself. There was obviously more than she could carry.

Ayaka started picking up the packages. She was reaching for one of the bags when her hand bumped another hand. Ayaka looked up into Sanzo's violet eyes. "W-w-where did you come from?" She asked, startled that she hadn't noticed him sooner.

"Oh, I came into town for some more cigarettes." Sanzo said lazily. "I thought I saw Gojyo with you. Where did he go?" He asked casually.

"He only took off after a skirt he saw." Ayaka fumed.

"Well, I'll help you with these." Sanzo said, picking up the rest of the packages with ease. "You sure did get a lot of stuff." He commented on her shopping bags. "How are you going to travel with all this?" Sanzo asked. As they were talking they had started the trek back to the temple.

"I've been meaning to ask you about that actually." Ayaka said. "Since it's getting colder and winter is going to be setting in soon, I was wondering if I might stay longer?" She asked. "It's just that traveling alone through the snow drifts doesn't appeal to me." Ayaka added.

Sanzo grunted, "I guess that's fine."

The rest of their trip back was in silence. When they got to the temple Sanzo followed Ayaka to her room to deposit her shopping.

"I don't know what you're planning, just make sure you don't interfere with things here." Sanzo warned her.

"I've made sure of that already." Ayaka assured him.

Sanzo raised an eyebrow. "Really." He stated.

"Don't worry, I'm not getting into anything I shouldn't." Ayaka said. She couldn't help but smile. It was so ridiculous.

"Okay, if you say so." Sanzo said. He vowed he would find out what she was up to eventually. He took his leave and headed to his room.

Ayaka sat down and decided it would be best to start with the repairs on the outside of the cottage before the weather got any worse. She also needed to recruit someone to help her rid the place of the spiders.

Sanzo couldn't help but notice now that he was back in his own room that Ayaka's room always smelled fresh and sweet. His seemed so stuffy in comparison. 'It's my solitude. I'm fine with that.' He tried to tell himself. To be honest, since meeting Ayaka, his confidence in wanting his solitude was slowly slipping away. Slowly but surely he had been finding himself draw to her even though he was trying not to be. He continued to have dreams and instead of his master, they were now of her. Sanzo took out a cigarette, lit it and stared out the window. He hoped that smoking would help to chain him to his room.

Ayaka had been busy. She had already found several young monks who could help her with her project and they had all agreed to keep it to themselves in accordance with Ayaka's wishes. Perhaps it was just so they could get her out of the temple sooner rather than later, but it didn't matter to Ayaka.

They started out the very next day and got the re-roofing underway. They also got started on helping Ayaka clear away the brush. Since it was a small cottage it didn't take long to re-roof, and the chinks in the walls were the next thing to receive attention.

Next came the interior which Ayaka made sure to let the young monks handle clearing out before she would step foot inside again. They saw her tremble when they made their dumps of debris mixed with web and spider and figured out her fear of the arachnids. Once they were done clearing it out and the windows replaced, Ayaka started cleaning. She was happy to discover it had a small bathroom with an old fashioned tub that required the water to be heated with firewood. With time she would find a way to get it fixed with more modern amenities if she stayed around that long. At least it had a working toilet and sink. The rest of the cottage was basically one big room. There was a kitchen on the right of the back wall with a wood stove on the right wall. That left the remainder of the room to a small living area with a fireplace on the left wall. The bathroom was at the corner of the left wall and the back wall. Ayaka laid down large bamboo mats on the floor. She put a bed in the center of the back wall and a chair by the fireplace. Ayaka knew she still had some things to finish before she could come her permanently, but it was starting to feel like a little home to her.

It had taken weeks to get everything done, but it had been worth it. When Ayaka would go back to the temple at night she would take a soak in the tub before retiring to her room. It always helped her tired muscles feel better.

Sanzo knew something was going on, but he was too busy with his duties to find out what. He went to Ayaka's room one evening to see if he could get anything out of her. Sanzo knocked on her door. He heard a soft "enter" so he did. Ayaka seemed to be packing her things up. Sanzo's heart took a nosedive. 'She said she staying through winter.' He tried to reason with himself. "What's going on?" Sanzo asked.

"I'm just packing my things." Ayaka said nonchalantly.

"I thought you were staying through the winter season." Sanzo said, his eyes narrowing.

"I am." Ayaka said.

"Then I don't understand." Sanzo couldn't connect her actions to her words. They were saying two different things.

"Why does it matter to you Sanzo?" Ayaka asked. She was starting to feel confused by his disinterest in her all of a sudden changing. It was always like this with him and she was starting to get frustrated by it. One minute he was trying to avoid her while the next he was concerned about her. Ayaka glanced out the window. It was snowing softly. She glanced back at Sanzo and continued to pack her things.

"It doesn't." Sanzo said, not really believing what he said.

"Fine." Ayaka said fiercely. She grabbed her cloak and in her anger forgot her bag and stormed out into the snow.

Sanzo was planted to the floor. He could see Ayaka running out into the snow. He stood there for at least five minutes before he realized that the snow was getting thicker. There wasn't anywhere close by that Sanzo could think of that Ayaka could go to if it started to blizzard. Without another thought he left the temple. He tried to make out her tracks, but the snow had already filled them in. Time was ticking by and the snow was starting to get too thick to see very far. Sanzo shivered. He had forgotten to get something warmer before he left the temple. His mind was reeling trying to think of a place to get some shelter. He would have to hope that Ayaka had found some place to take refuge in.

Sanzo started to head for a rundown structure he remembered in the recesses of his mind. As he neared it he thought he could smell the smoke from a fireplace. He finally reached the door and noticed it wasn't as rundown as he remembered. Sanzo turned the doorknob and stumbled in. He shut the door and looked to his right. There was Ayaka. She hadn't noticed him when he entered. She was striped down to a pair of shorts and a sports bra. Her little workout corner was furnished with a bag and a makiwara on the wall. Sanzo was surprised at the fervor she was putting into her workout. She was kicking and punching the bag with all her might. Sweat was beading on her slim body as she continued her assault on the bag. At one point she kicked the bag with such ferocity that the fabric ripped and her subsequent punches only helped to create a larger tear. Ayaka finally kicked it one last time and the bag poured its contents of sand all over the floor.

"Damn it." Ayaka struck the makiwara with her fist. She turned and noticed Sanzo for the first time. "What are you doing here?" She asked through gritted teeth.

"I came to look for you since the snow was getting so thick." Sanzo said through shivering teeth.

"You're freezing. I've got the water in the bath heating. Go in there and throw out your clothes, I'll put them in front of the fire to dry." Ayaka said while indicating the bathroom door. She would let the matter of his presence go for now.

Sanzo just nodded his head and headed for the door. Once inside the bathroom he stripped down and tossed his clothes outside. He tested the water with a finger before getting in. It was warm, but not so warm as to shock his body after being so cold.

Ayaka put some water on the stove to boil for tea and picked up Sanzo's clothes. She put them in front of the fire just as she had said she would. Then she went back to the mess on the floor and started to clean it up. 'That was a short lived bag.' Thought Ayaka. Once she cleaned it up, she checked on the water for the tea. Ayaka had just finished getting the tea ready when Sanzo came out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist.

"Have some tea by the fire if you like. You can use that blanket over the back of the chair if you need it." Ayaka said. "I'm going to take my bath now, so feel free to relax." With that Ayaka turned on her heal and went into the bathroom.

The water helped to relax Ayaka and calm her nerves. It felt weird to her having Sanzo just on the other side of the door. It wasn't how she pictured her first night in her little cottage.

Sanzo looked around the little room scrutinizing it and its contents. He liked what she had done with the place. It was nice and comfortable for the most part and definitely more livable. He felt his clothes to see how close they were to being dry. They were still damp, which he should have expected. It would be awhile before they dried. He scowled. What would he wear? He couldn't stay in this towel the whole time. Sanzo looked back at his clothes by the fire and noticed that not all of them were his. Some of them belonged to Ayaka as well. Her clothes must have gotten wet on her way here too.

Sanzo decided to check the pockets of his robes for his pack of cigarettes. 'Shit, they're all wet.' He thought once he located his soggy pack. Sanzo was distracted from his thoughts when Ayaka stepped out of the bathroom. She had a towel around her long hair and another around her body.

"You know, I forgot my bag back at the temple, and it had all my clothes in it." Ayaka stated as she joined Sanzo by the fire. She took the towel from her hair and started to comb through it to get the knots out.

The seriousness of the their situation hit Sanzo like a ton of bricks. That meant all they had to cover up in were towels. He was alone in a cottage in a blizzard with a beautiful woman and without cigarettes. This was spelling trouble for him. Up until now he had been able to hold back on his feelings for her, but now, now he was trapped and temptation never looked so good.

Ayaka was growing a little uncomfortable in the silence. She was trying not to look too much at Sanzo's lean, muscular form. He was just too sexy to be a priest. Ayaka turned her gaze to the fire, taking in the dancing flames.

Sanzo glanced at Ayaka. Her petite form was so voluptuous. He looked her over from head to toe. Yeah, things were looking down, or up for him depending on the view one took. He could feel desire starting to flow through his body and it was getting harder to ignore by the second.

Ayaka turned her head to face Sanzo only to find his inches from hers. He leaned in and captured her soft lips in a closed mouthed kiss. It felt like a chain reaction in both of them and they wanted more. Sanzo coaxed Ayaka's lips open with his tongue and swirled his tongue around her mouth. He like how she tasted and he kept asking for more, which she readily gave. They broke the kiss long enough to look deeply in each other's eyes and seeing the desire there, they dove into another battle of the tongues.

* * *

Okay, one lemon coming up in the next chapter. It will be my first, so I hope not to disappoint. I hope this story isn't moving too fast for you all. Anyway, if you like it please keep reading. 


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Saiyuki or any of the Saiyuki characters. I do own my own.

WARNING: LEMON ALERT.

Sanzo picked up Ayaka while they continued to kiss and brought her to the bed. He laid her down gently before breaking the kiss again. "Is this your first time?" He asked cautiously.

"Yes." Ayaka said breathlessly. "Is it yours?" She asked him back.

Sanzo just nodded. He had been to busy living in solitude to have any sexual relationships. However, he wasn't about to get into all that right now. He leaned in to give Ayaka another kiss. He started at her mouth and worked his way to her ear before grabbing it in-between his teeth. Sanzo sucked her ear lobe before he let his tongue travel around the edge of her ear. Then he plugged her ear with his tongue.

Ayaka took in a sharp intake of air. What Sanzo was doing to her was so erotic. He found his way back to her mouth now and Ayaka tangled her fingers in his hair. Now he was trailing kisses down her throat.

Sanzo grabbed Ayaka's towel and yanked it off. He sat up on his haunches so he could look down at her bare body, seeing it fully naked for the first time. He felt his already growing erection get harder with the increased heat that was coursing through his body.

Ayaka sat up. "Hey, if mine comes off so does yours." She said as she reached for his towel. Sanzo just let her strip him of his towel. "Wow." Ayaka said when she saw his erect form. She had never seen this part of a man before and she was fascinated by it.

However, Sanzo was ready to continue his serenade of kisses on Ayaka and pushed her gently back down. He cupped a breast with each hand and took her left nipple into his mouth. First he licked it playfully. Then he sucked it getting harder suction as he sucked. Ayaka moaned with pleasure, which made Sanzo ache for her all the more.

Ayaka could feel that she was really wet down in the nethermost region of her body, which also ached and throbbed to be filled. When Sanzo had started on her breasts it had awakened her body even further to her sexual excitement. He stopped sucking her nipple and moved to the other one. Ayaka took in another sharp intake of breath enjoying the moment.

Sanzo started to trail kisses down to her forest of hair. He found her soft bud and licked it lightly. Ayaka moaned again excited about this new area of stimulation. Sanzo took this to be a good sign and began to play with her bud with his tongue.

Ayaka grabbed the sheets trying to anchor herself, in order to deal with the intensity of the feeling coursing through her lithe body. She could feel something starting to build up within her and her body was screaming for him to fill her.

Sanzo watched her body as he continued to play with her bud with his tongue. She was getting close to something really good. He could tell by how she occasionally turned her head from side to side and the little moans that escaped her soft lips. More and more she was pressing herself into his tongue, unaware of her gentle bucking. Sanzo could see the muscles in her abs tighten before she moaned the loudest, longest moan yet and collapsed her pelvis back onto the bed.

Ayaka felt like she had exploded off the edge of a cliff and the rush that came with it was so exhilarating. Her lower abdomen was throbbing inside of her. She breathed heavily and opened eyes, drowsy with euphoria, to look at Sanzo. He looked pleased with himself and before she knew it he had taken one of his fingers to her bud.

Sanzo massaged her bud in a circular motion with a finger from his right hand while he explored her opening with a finger from his left hand. He watched Ayaka shutter with excitement went he stuck his finger inside her. She bucked all the more and came much faster that time.

"Please." Ayaka said desperately. "I can't take anymore, I need you in me." She pleaded.

Sanzo didn't want to hold back any longer as it was. So he gladly slid his form over the top of hers, his weight half on her, half on his arms. He lowered himself and brought the tip of his erection to her slick opening. Sanzo moved slowly as he entered her slightly, pulling back a little and then plunging a little deeper each time.

Ayaka inhaled sharply. His girth felt so good inside of her and her walls tightened as he finally plunged his entire length into her cave.

Sanzo moaned as he buried himself to the hilt. Nothing had ever felt so good to him in his life. He began thrusting himself in and out at a slow steady rhythm. Ayaka put her hands on his back lightly caressing him as he plunged in and out of her cave. He gradually increased his speed and felt Ayaka's hands move down to his buttocks. She was grabbing them and starting to dig her nails in slightly. Sanzo couldn't take it anymore. He could feel the walls of her cave tightening around his erect form and all he could think of was going faster.

Ayaka could feel Sanzo's erection suddenly get harder and his thrusting faster just before he moaned like it was the end of the world. She could feel a sort of throbbing from him within her and knew that he had just experienced the same thing she had earlier.

Sanzo reached his arms under Ayaka in an embrace as he rested his recovering form on top of her. His breathing slowed and he pulled away enough to look her in the face. "I love you." He whispered.

Ayaka's eyes sparkled and she said. "I love you too." She smiled. "You know, you are heavier than you look. Will you let me up and I'll go clean up the sauce between my legs?" She asked with an embarrassed smirk on her face.

Sanzo moved off of her instead of answering her verbally. He watched her get up and dash to the bathroom. A few minutes latter she reappeared and sauntered back to the bed.

Ayaka lay on her back next to Sano and took one of his hands in hers. She looked up at him and asked, "So, when do you want seconds?" She asked him playfully.

Sanzo arched an eyebrow. "When I'm ready." He took his hand from hers and enveloped her in another embrace. Part of Sanzo wanted it to blizzard forever now. He could spend all of eternity like this.

Ayaka snuggled in Sanzo's arms. She felt so happy. "So what now?" She asked

"What do you mean?" Sanzo asked her.

"What will happen with us?" Ayaka asked.

"Well, I guess you will have to stay here indefinitely." Sanzo said.

"Is that all?" Ayaka asked trying to find out what his intentions for her were.

"No. You can live here in this cottage and if you want I'll come live here too." Sanzo explained patiently.

Ayaka turned on the bed to face him. "What about Goku? The monks won't like him to stay at the temple without you." She stated.

"Don't worry about it. That's my problem to figure out." Sanzo told her.

"So is there anything else you have in mind other than moving in here?" Ayaka tried to sound casual.

"Yes. You are going to be my mate and no one else's. No playing with the other boys." Sanzo said with a very serious look on his face.

Ayaka burst out laughing. Sanzo looked so funny having such a serious look on his face, saying words that didn't quite match. "Of course I won't play around." She said still giggling.

"I'm serious." Sanzo glared at Ayaka with his usual scowl.

"Okay, I promise." Ayaka said in a serious tone, trying very hard not to laugh anymore. She saw how important this was to him not to joke about it. "Sanzo, don't you think I would stick with the one I had my first time with over anyone else?" Ayaka asked him.

Sanzo thought about it carefully before he said, "Yes."

Ayaka smiled at Sanzo happy that she had his confidence.

"So what about the one you had your second time with?" Sanzo asked with a mischievous grin.

* * *

So, that was the first lemon attempt by me. I hope you liked it. We'll see how far this little story progresses. I know this chapter was a bit shorter than the others, but I wanted to get it up. Enjoy ;) 


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